Making my own medieval inks

Last autumn, a whisper of ancient magic drew me to The Woven Briar's studio, a truly enchanting space brimming with the soul of wool and the deep hues of natural inks. It felt less like a course and more like stepping into a hidden glade, where the air hummed with creativity and the stories whispered by threads and pigments.

Our journey began with a communion with the earth itself, as we ventured out to forage for tree barks. There, amidst the rustling leaves, we gathered the very essence of the forest, each piece a vessel holding the potential for rich, vibrant colour. It was a deeply grounding experience, a humbling reminder of the profound gifts offered by the wild, and the intricate dance between nature and creation.

Back in the studio, we delved into the alchemical art of transforming these earthly treasures into our own medieval inks. Watching the pigments bloom from the barks, a shadowy magic unfolding before our eyes, was utterly mesmerizing. This ancient process, steeped in forgotten lore, ignited a spark within me. My heart now yearns to delve deeper into these earthen mysteries, to truly understand the spirit of these inks so I can one day weave their magic and share their secrets with the wildlings in my care.

Diving into the world of natural ink making felt like uncovering an ancient alchemical secret. The process is a beautiful dance between earthy pigments and protein fibers, guided by the magic of mordants. We learned that the secret lies in extracting vibrant hues from natural sources and then, crucially, fixing them to a medium. Tree bark, rich in tannins, proved to be an invaluable mordant, with examples like sweet chestnut, oak, willow, and alder offering their unique binding properties. These tannins, when combined with protein fibers, create a powerful connection that holds the color fast. Beyond the barks, we explored the transformative power of iron, which can dramatically shift and deepen the colors, and the incredible madder root, famous for its spectrum of reds and oranges. The journey through various flora revealed just how diverse the natural world's palette truly is, with each plant offering a unique pigment and, often, a surprising transformation when interacting with different modifiers. It's a craft that marries botanical knowledge with a touch of chemistry, yielding inks that tell a story of their origins.